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Dada Between Heaven and Hell: Abstraction and Universal Language in the Rhythm Films of Hans Richter**

Dada Between Heaven and Hell: Abstraction and Universal Language in the Rhythm Films of Hans... Dada Between Heaven and Hell: Abstraction and Universal Language in the Rhythm Films of Hans Richter* MALCOLM TURVEY Since its demise, Dada has functioned as an inspirational precursor to, and rich resource for, a variety of different critiques of modernity, as any regular reader of this publication will know. Does Dada have anything to say to those of us today who, while acknowledging modernity’s problems, continue to believe in the basic ideals and aspirations of modernity, in part because modernity allows for self-critique; and who also believe that advanced art could continue to play a crucial role in that self-critique, as did Dada in the early twentieth century? For Dada is often identified with extreme, uncompromising condemnations of modernity, and with good reason. On the one hand, there is the strain of nihilism in Dada, the view—associated with figures such as Tristan Tzara and Francis Picabia—that modernity has robbed human existence of any meaning, and that the correct (anti-)artistic strategy is to constantly reveal the meaninglessness beneath any pretensions (usually defined as bourgeois) to meaning. As John Erickson has put it, “Despite its varied origin, centers of artistic activity, and personalities, Dada has usually been classified bag and http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png October MIT Press

Dada Between Heaven and Hell: Abstraction and Universal Language in the Rhythm Films of Hans Richter**

October , Volume Summer 2003 (105) – Jul 1, 2003

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Publisher
MIT Press
Copyright
© 2003 October Magazine, Ltd. and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
ISSN
0162-2870
eISSN
1536-013X
DOI
10.1162/016228703769684146
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Dada Between Heaven and Hell: Abstraction and Universal Language in the Rhythm Films of Hans Richter* MALCOLM TURVEY Since its demise, Dada has functioned as an inspirational precursor to, and rich resource for, a variety of different critiques of modernity, as any regular reader of this publication will know. Does Dada have anything to say to those of us today who, while acknowledging modernity’s problems, continue to believe in the basic ideals and aspirations of modernity, in part because modernity allows for self-critique; and who also believe that advanced art could continue to play a crucial role in that self-critique, as did Dada in the early twentieth century? For Dada is often identified with extreme, uncompromising condemnations of modernity, and with good reason. On the one hand, there is the strain of nihilism in Dada, the view—associated with figures such as Tristan Tzara and Francis Picabia—that modernity has robbed human existence of any meaning, and that the correct (anti-)artistic strategy is to constantly reveal the meaninglessness beneath any pretensions (usually defined as bourgeois) to meaning. As John Erickson has put it, “Despite its varied origin, centers of artistic activity, and personalities, Dada has usually been classified bag and

Journal

OctoberMIT Press

Published: Jul 1, 2003

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